# Where was "Restless Leg Syndrome" ten years ago? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 11, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280 "2007-08-11T20:48:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/1 "2007-08-11T20:48:31Z")
I frequently see commercials for “Restless Leg Syndrome”. How come I never heard of anyone having this condition, say, ten years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/2 "2007-08-11T20:51:49Z")
Oh, it was there. I heard it first described in medical school, back in the late '70’s. I’m not sure if they called it that then, but it was recognized as a genuine entity. But now it’s sexy and there’s new and expensive drugs that can be prescribed for it. And advertised for it, which wasn’t done back in the day either. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/3 "2007-08-11T21:32:37Z")
Just because you hear about it doesnt mean it didnt exist. Where was cancer 500 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/4 "2007-08-11T22:41:15Z")
[QUOTE=ChrisBooth12] Just because you hear about it doesnt mean it didnt exist. Where was cancer 500 years ago? [/QUOTE] [Nitpick](http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_the_history_of_cancer_72.asp) (scroll down to the “Origin of the word Cancer” section) > [@](#): > > The origin of the word cancer is credited to the Greek physician Hippocrates (460-370 B.C.), considered the “Father of Medicine.” Hippocrates used the terms carcinos and carcinoma to describe non-ulcer forming and ulcer-forming tumors. In Greek these words refer to a crab, most likely applied to the disease because the finger-like spreading projections from a cancer called to mind the shape of a crab. Carcinoma is the most common type of cancer. Descriptions of the disease itself, before the name was coined, are older. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/5 "2007-08-11T22:48:09Z")
Well, I can remember having restless legs more than ten years ago - more that twenty, probably. Everything has to be a ‘syndrome’ now though. SSLLS is Spontaneous Shoe Lace Loosening Syndrome, for example - and I think most people will now at least have heard of UFIA Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/6 "2007-08-11T22:53:11Z")
Well, ropinirole, the first prescription drug for RLS, came out in 2005. But RLS certainly existed for me at least six or seven years ago, even though there weren’t commercials or prescriptions for it. I could never describe the feeling very well, and just put up with the discomfort because my docs told me it was just too much caffeine / sugar / reaction to an anti-depressant / whatevs. Though I took their advice and tried various changes in diet and exercise, it never improved. About three years ago – still before ads became ubiquitous on TV – I got fed up one night when yet again I couldn’t fall sleep thanks to the discomfort (it’s a _really_ weird, irritating feeling … like too much adrenaline or a low-voltage buzzing through my leg muscles). I went online and used the right keywords to discover that yes, other people had this too. (Unfortunately, like tinnitus, idiopathic RLS doesn’t really go away. Lucky me, I have both!) All this is a long way of saying it’s not something made up by drug companies to push their wares. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/7 "2007-08-11T23:08:22Z")
I think we never heard of it back then, because it is correlated with peanut allergies, and we all know that used to kill 'em way too young to get RLS. Thanks to medical science, the peanut kids are living longer now. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/8 "2007-08-11T23:10:23Z")
I remember a Seinfeld episode in which Kramer complained that his girlfriend had the “Jimmylegs” at night, as a result of which he wasn’t getting much sleep. So there you go. 10 years ago, they were called the Jimmylegs. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/9 "2007-08-11T23:22:38Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I think we never heard of it back then, because it is correlated with peanut allergies [/QUOTE] No it isn’t. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/10 "2007-08-11T23:26:40Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] No it isn’t. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] I believe thou art whooshed, mightily, good sir. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/11 "2007-08-11T23:40:40Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] I believe thou art whooshed, mightily, good sir. [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BJMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@BJMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BJMoose)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/12 "2007-08-12T01:02:23Z")
Gee, guys, it’s probably not a good idea to whoosh a physician, especially if you have a prostate exam coming up. . . . Seriously, I’m glad this question was asked. My reaction to the RLS syndrome was, “Geez, now they’re inventing diseases so they can sell more drugs.” That’ll teach me. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/13 "2007-08-12T01:20:04Z")
My mom has had RLS for more than 50 years, but didn’t discover the name (or there wasn’t a name) until 10 or 15 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/14 "2007-08-12T02:23:08Z")
Had it all my life. It just didn’t have a name. I assumed it was just me. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/15 "2007-08-12T03:24:04Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] I believe thou art whooshed, mightily, good sir. [/QUOTE] No I wasn’t. This is GQ. One should not post malinformation in GQ. I was giving the poster who provided the malinformation the benefit of the doubt, rather than attributing it to malice. I will not do so again. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/16 "2007-08-12T03:33:46Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] This is GQ. One should not post malinformation in GQ. I was giving the poster who provided the malinformation the benefit of the doubt, rather than attributing it to malice. [/QUOTE] Oh come on, **Qadgop**. Please don’t tell me I have to use smileys every time I satirize a topic. The reference to oft-discussed peanut allergy was intended to be light-hearted, not malicious. I respect your medical input in all relevant threads; if you were offended by my attempt at humor, I apologize. I thought it was broad enough to be recognized for what it was. I guess I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/17 "2007-08-12T03:58:02Z")
I don’t mind satire when it’s labeled as such. But reading erronious yet not unplausible information in GQ doesn’t make me happy. Having expended the effort to try to post decent, up to date, experientially-based info in an understandable format on a topic, it’s no pleasure to have to go back to debunk baseless nonsense, old wives tales, and unsupported, meritless contrary information. Frankly, it’s one of the reasons I don’t post so much in GQ anymore. See y’all in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/18 "2007-08-12T04:08:36Z")
A lot of the health-related claims you see online are blatantly loony, yet are posted in utter seriousness so a whoosh can’t be assumed. Once on another site I followed up someone’s question about getting a kidney cleanse, only to be told the cleanse was for their dog on the advice of its chiropractor. It could happen… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/19 "2007-08-12T04:12:08Z")
[QUOTE=BJMoose] Seriously, I’m glad this question was asked. My reaction to the RLS syndrome was, “Geez, now they’re inventing diseases so they can sell more drugs.” That’ll teach me. [/QUOTE] I don’t know, making a drug and a disease “popular” is one guaranteed way to make me not to ever tell my doctor about it. I can live with it. And I know I am not alone - I know many people think like me. Now it seems like everyone’s got RLS, and it makes people think those of us who have always been bothered by it are just making it up. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2007, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280/20 "2007-08-12T04:25:00Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I think we never heard of it back then, because it is correlated with peanut allergies, and we all know that used to kill 'em way too young to get RLS. Thanks to medical science, the peanut kids are living longer now. [/QUOTE] You are wrong. If you are trying to be funny, you are also wrong. **Qadgop the Mercotan** is right, and is a very valuable member of this community that gives of his medical wisdom freely. This is GQ, not MPSIMS, and posting deliberately wrong answers is - IMHO- being a jerk. I think we need a rule saying none of this shit anymore here in GQ. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-was-restless-leg-syndrome-ten-years-ago/415280.md?page=2)